


Here's to Us

by BreeZ_Claire



Series: As Days Go By [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bromance, Fluff, Gen, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-19
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-26 00:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeZ_Claire/pseuds/BreeZ_Claire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-As Days Go By. As the group makes the turn from 29 to 30, they decide to drown their sorrows at a local karaoke bar. Luckily Merlin's there to cheer them up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Here's to Us

The group of them sat around the table at their favourite bar, brooding and sharing in each others blue mood. At the other side of the room came sounds of karaoke singers happily butchering what they called 'music' but the group of men just hung their heads and drank their beer. After their first few rounds and after Lance and Leon got up to fetch another, three familiar shadows made their way past the tables and into the dim light that hung over the men's table.

"Oh – _oh God_ \- you boys make me sad." Morgana pulled up a chair, looking as if it pained her physically to see her friends in the state there were in. There was a simultaneous wince around the table as chairs were shifted unsubtly away from the terrifying woman. There was a silent moment filled with a terrible rendition of _Eye of the Tiger_ before another voice joined them.

"What is with this sob-fest?" Will leaned against the back of Morgana's chair, not even trying to hide the grin on his face from seeing Arthur so miserable. Merlin repressed a sigh; only Will and Morgana would bond over torturing Arthur. He elbowed his friend but only succeeded in pushing Will out of the way in time for Lance and Leon to return with another round. The group of men – Arthur, Lance, Leon, Percival, Gwaine and Elyan – reached for their beers immediately. After chugging about half his drink, Arthur rubbed his eyes and spoke.

"What are you two even doing here?" He didn't have the strength to throw a jibe at Morgana tonight.

Gwaine, who sat beside him, nodded. "Don't you two have homework to do?"

"Or a paper due?" Percival grumbled.

Merlin and Will rolled their eyes in unison. It was an on-running joke that the six older men teased the two younger, freshly graduated students about their age ever since Merlin had taken up residence with Arthur, Lance and Gwaine. Any other night, the two would've bit back with equally witty remarks about 'it's not a school night, dad' and 'don't laugh too hard grandpa, wouldn't want you to beak a rib' jokes but tonight they just let it go.

It wasn't too hard to figure out what the men were so glum about. When Merlin checked his calendar today and saw the upcoming dates – many of the men shared close birthdays and a whole bunch of them were coming up soon – his first thoughts floated to where Arthur and his group would be heading tonight to drown away their sorrows.

But not wanting to spend the entire night trying to consolidate his flatmates and friends, he called up Will so the two could hang out later on. That, and if Will found out Merlin had left him to go to a bar while Will was left back home alone, reeling after a long day of work, he'd probably get shot. Of course Morgana tagged along, eager to see her brother in such a state. So the three met up and headed out together.

It was hard to believe how he and Will had stayed together for so long after all these years. They'd grown up together in their small home town and had moved away to university together as well, Will going into business and Merlin going into journalism. Thick as thieves they were, and back home they'd been called as much. Wreaking havoc on Old man Simmons' farm and pulling pranks everywhere in the neighbourhood until Merlin's mom grabbed them by the ears, together with William's mother, and sat the two down for two very long lectures. Will often swore the lectures were so long you could see the season begin to change.

"C'mon you lot, cheer up. It's not that bad!" Merlin smiled but was only met with a round-table of death glares.

"Easy for you to say." Leon muttered and took another drink from his mug.

"If you asked me I'd say you chumps were over reacting. I mean, I'm totally psyched to turn twenty-five in a couple of — Ow hey!" There was a hailstorm of peanuts as the two younger men were pelted out of sheer spite of their age. Merlin cursed Will and his big mouth. Morgana, mostly unphased, boredly picked out peanuts from her cleavage.

"Get out!" Percy growled.

"Get out right now!" Gwaine pointed towards the exit and together the two men threatened to get out of their chairs and throw them out. Lance waved a hand, as did Arthur, but it was Morgana that spoke out.

"Well, as much as I would love to sit and wallow in self pity like you," she earned a few glares with that. "I have a girl's night with Gwen." She promptly rose from her chair and made her way out the door while making more than a few heads turn as she left. Merlin would've been convinced that she took full pleasure in seeing her brother and friends mope if it hadn't been for her last whispered words in his ear asking him to help cheer them up.

"C'mon guys, we can't blame them." Even Lance spoke half-heartedly. Arthur nodded.

"Yes." Then he held up his index finger. "But we can, however, force Merlin to make us breakfast for the next two months until all the painful birthdays have passed." And to this, all the men smirked as Merlin slumped into Morgana's empty chair.

"Turning thirty can't be that bad." He raised a brow.

"How about we bring this up when _you_ turn thirty alright mate?" Percival waved a chicken wing at him and soon the table resorted back to minimal talking and moping men. When it seemed that they'd all be lost for good, Lance spoke up softly.

"Plus…it's not just that…"

Merlin turned to Lance and realized the genuine slump to Lance's shoulders even though he was part of the half who didn't even have their birthday this half of the year.

"So why _are_ you here? What's going on?" Lance's shoulders slumped even more –apparently it was possible- and around the table, all of them followed suit in their own way. Leon frowned; Gwaine looked down at his beer, as did Arthur, while Elyan and Percival hid themselves behind their hands or their food.

"Gwen and I had a fight…"

"Morgana broke things off…again…"

"I might not make senior partner at the law firm." Arthur stared down at the table.

"I just got fired from _The Crow_." Elyan mumbled.

"Lamorak is in the hospital again." Lamorak, Merlin knew, was Percival's brother who, while usually kept calm and at bay by his brothers, enjoyed the bar scene a little too much and often got into one too many fights. This often landed him in the hospital, much to the strain of the family's hearts.

"Oh boy-" Merlin hadn't realize how much shit he was in for until now. He rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think of a way to cheer up his friends.

"I'm turning thirty…fucking thirty!" Even Gwaine, the joker and womanizer of the group seemed zapped of energy and had seemingly no idea of the group of young ladies pointing and giggling at the table of handsome men. Will, sharing Gwaine's love for the ladies, picked up on this and began bouncing around anxiously.

"Alright, enough's enough. Merlin _do_ something!" He looked down at his friend and punched him in the arm. Merlin shot him a look as if to say, _like what?_

_Use your special ability to cheer up these sad bags of sap!_

' _Special ability?' What special ability?_

_You know…_ Will made a gesture with his head towards the corner of the room where a couple were singing some cheesy love song. After a moment, Merlin huffed a sigh and got up.

"'Special ability' my ass." But if it would help his friends, why not?

"It always seems to bring in the customers at the Café." Will shrugged and looked around the table of sad men who seemed indifferent to their little exchange. "Besides…it's worth a try. They look as if their favourite puppy just died for crying out loud! It's killing my buzz."

Merlin looked around the table as well and smiled sympathetically. "Alright then." He rolled his eyes and made his way to the karaoke machine and towards the mic. It wasn't until his voice amplified throughout the room that the group of men turned.

"Shit, he's not going to start singing 'Happy Birthday' is he?" Gwaine sunk low in his chair – his birthday was the first of the group. Merlin cleared his throat and tapped the mic for good measure before giving his friends a sincere smile.

"Umm…Hi, I'm Merlin and I'd like to dedicate this to my friends and anyone else who's going through a tough time right now." He blushed, just like he always did when the spotlight was on him, but continued on nonetheless. "I know that things may seem at its lowest right now but it's important to know that no matter how dark the clouds may get, we'll always have our friends to pull us through to the end." With a small nod to the DJ, the light sounds of a guitar filled the room. The spotlight widened as Merlin took a moment to focus before opening his eyes, blue eyes sparkling in the light.

  
_We could just go home right now_   
_Or maybe we could stick around_   
_For just one more drink_   
_Oh yeah_   


  
_Get another bottle out_   
_Let's shoot the shit, Sit back down_   
_For just one more drink_   
_Oh yeah_   


He casually swiped a beer bottle from a passing waitress and raised it in the air, singing out every word and hoping they'd get through to everyone in the room including his friends. The lights above him swirled and flashed in patterns of green, blue, reds and yellows as spirits began to rise. From where he stood, he could just make out Will moving to the beat and clapping along with his hands high in the air, Merlin couldn't help but smile. Soon enough, the crowd was clapping along too until Merlin held up his hands, bringing things down again.

His eyes scanned the table his friends sat at and made sure to lock eyes with each and every one of them. He was relieved to find them staring up at him, first in quiet shock then in awe, with small smiles of their face as Merlin sung to them. He raised his bottle to each of them with a wide grin and gave a little shrug because he'd never told any of them that he could sing.

  
_Here's to us_   
_Here's to love_   
_All the times that we've messed up_   
_Here's to you_   
_Fill the glass_   
_Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass_   
_If they give you hell_   
_Tell them "Go fuck themselves!"_   
_Here's to us_   
_Here's to us_   


And over the next few months, things _would_ get better. Merlin had always believed that there was a silver lining to every storm and a hopeful light at the end of every dark tunnel.

Soon enough, Lance would propose, bringing Gwen to break down in tears of joy and happy laughter and while Leon didn't know it yet, Lance and Gwen's wedding would be where he and Morgana began to rekindle their mismatched relationship. Arthur, despite his fears and doubts, would become a great managing partner of Pendragon LLC., one of New York's largest law firms and Elyan would quickly progress to the title of publisher of the _New York Post_.

Lamorak, as always, recovered and while his fiery temper would never completely subdue, the pleas of his younger sister, Elaine, left him feeling a tad guilty whenever he went on his nightly escapades. Upon his return home, she'd sneak into his bed late one night wearing her little princess gown to check up on her big brother. He promised soon after he'd hold back for her sake.

As for Gwaine…well there wasn't much that could be done about his age, but after the group all pitched in for a trip to Barbados, life seemed a bit better for the newly turned thirty-year-old. _  
_

  
_Here's to us_   
_Here's to love_   
_Here's to us_   
_Wish everybody well_   


  
_Here's to us_   
_Here's to love_   
_Here's to us_   


_Here's to us_

**Author's Note:**

> Song: Here's to us - Halestorm


End file.
